American Housewife is a nostalgic and charming novel that readers Anita Abriel's readers will devour. Maggie Lane has clawed her way to modest success in NYC; from the farm in Pennsylvania where she was raised to her own apartment in the city, Maggie has displayed grit and determination to succeed. The host of her own radio show, Maggie is living paycheck to paycheck and loving being an independent lady in the city. When one of the show's sponsors taps her for a TV show featuring baking and answering questions from housewives Maggie is excited-and terrified. She can't bake, she's not a housewife and she doesn't do laundry-all of the things women were generally responsible for in the 1950s. Her supportive boyfriend Teddy encourages her to take it-hopeful she will finally agree to marry him. Readers will go on a journey with Maggie as she embarks on unexpected stardom but at what cost? She's kept secrets from Teddy that would violate her morality clause if found out-and when the past comes back to haunt her, Maggie is faced with a difficult choice. With warmth and Abriel's stellar depiction of life in NYC in the 1950s and the challenges women faced, American Housewife as delightful as it is charming. Maggie is well developed and at times it was easy to forget how young she was as women in their early 20s had very different expectations placed upon them than women do today. The fashion and trends of the era are featured throughout and are a great backdrop to the novel. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was decent as far as historical fiction books good. It kept me interested enough to finish the book but was not very memorable to be honest. I enjoy the housewife trope but I do think there have been others that have done it better. I would read from this author again.

While enjoyed the setting and time period of this book, I didn't necessarily contect to or like the characters very much. The main characters seemed somewhat selfish and the decisions they made continually created conflict in their lives. I do feel it was worth reading for the historical context. Thanks#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing

While I'm always here for a book that goes against the common housewife stereotype, this one fell flat. Maggie, the FMC, felt like she was successful against her will and teetered between wanting it and not. There also wasn't really any conflict in the entire story just lying by omission and easy resolution. It's good if you want a light historical fiction, but I was bored. (Thinking of you always Lessons in Chemistry).

EXCERPT: Maggie let out her breath. It really was happening. She was going to be the star of her own baking show.
"There are a few more papers to sign." Tommy was going through his briefcase. He handed her a paper. "A noncompete, and the morality clause."
Maggie held the paper. "A morality clause?"
"They're very common. I'm surprised you didn't sign one at CBS," Tommy said. "It's particularly important for the show. Maggie Lane is going to be America's girl next door. There can't be any skeletons in our star's past."
The paper shook under her fingers. Her stomach dropped, and a feeling of foreboding overwhelmed her. Tommy and Teddy were both looking at her expectantly.

ABOUT 'AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE': New York City, 1950. Dreams come true for radio personality Maggie Lane when she gets her big break in the exciting new world of television. The Maggie Lane Baking Show is on the air.

All she has to do is act like the ideal housewife, create sumptuous desserts, charm the show’s sponsors, and sign a morality clause to ensure that her girl-next-door image remains untarnished. Although newlywed Maggie has never baked so much as a cookie, and knows even less about maintaining a home, keeping up appearances is a necessary ingredient for success. Easy. She has a supportive husband and a legion of fans who can’t wait to know her better and better, week after week.

That’s what she’s afraid of. Off camera, cracks are showing in her marriage, an old lover makes an unexpected return, and there are secrets from the past that could ruin everything Maggie has worked for. With every dream on the line, Maggie wonders if she can still have it all when the truth about what it really means to be an American housewife comes to light.

MY THOUGHTS: MC Maggie Lane has an interesting backstory which is filtered into the narrative in the form of flashbacks/memories. But it's one that, unfortunately, may prove to be her undoing should it come to light.

But Maggie is not the only one with secrets - new husband Teddy has a few of his own, secrets that keep him awake at night, secrets that give him nightmares.

I found it easy to relate to Maggie, to empathise with her. She's a likeable character with more than a little steel in her backbone and a generous heart. I could easily see why she took the path she did earlier in her life. In today's setting, no one would blink an eye at her personal history, but things were very different in the 1950s, the decade I was born.

I love a good moral dilemma, and there are several within the pages of American Housewife. There's a blackmail attempt, a groom left standing at the altar, a young woman in love trying to hide her family roots, and a very real threat to Maggie's marriage.

While there is not a lot of emotional depth to American Housewife, it was a pleasant, quick and easy read that kept me engaged from beginning to end.

⭐⭐⭐.7

#AmericanHousewife #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Anita Abriel was born in Sydney, Australia. She received a BA in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bard College. She lives in California with her family and is the author of The Light After the War which was inspired by her mother’s story of survival during WWII.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of American Housewife for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I absolutely loved this book! It was entertaining, heartfelt, and poignant at times. I was captivated by the slow reveal of important past events. This was a rare treat!

I do love a good period read!

Maggie Lane has a job in radio, much listened to in 1950's America but when she gets her big break into television all her dreams come true at once. The Maggie Lane Baking Show is destined to be a huge success - despite the fact that Maggie doesn't reall know how to bake, or cook come to that and isn't really all that knowledgeable about home-making. But she will do what she has to to succeed. With a supportive husband, her only real worry is the morality clause in the contract she has signed ... will her past secrets catch up with her?

I was born in the late 50's so really don't remember much about it but I love reading about that time and enjoyed this novel immensely. Anita Abriel is a new author to me and one I shall certainly keep a lookout for in future. Her writing captures the period perfectly and I enjoyed all the little details. A good read from beginning to end and one I happily recommend. For me, 4.5*

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I loved the book for the overall journey it took me on. If I was just here to enjoy the journey and the vibes, I probably would have raved about this book. But for the most part, it felt like
the author was unclear about the theme of the book for the majority of the novel. The overall tone and message of the book wasn’t clear until about 80% through…sometimes, this might be fine, but this felt very unclear for this particular subject. I wanted a clear opinion and declaration on gender roles and how marriages effectively work.
The miscommunication trope was incredibly infuriating, especially after the narration clearly states how important communication and clarity are in a marriage. The writing was bland and unexciting in the end considering the way the story was finished.

This had great potential but fell a little short and felt shallow. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

This was a charming historical fiction novel. Perhaps this was supposed to happen but I got major "Lessons in Chemistry" vibes from this book. I think I would be interested in checking out more books by Anita Abriel in the future.

I really enjoyed this book, the setting was immersive, great characters and a easy to follow storyline, I will find more books by this Author.

This skims over a lot of issues while telling the story of Maggie, a newlywed who is host a baking show, In the 1950s. Her husband Teddy has untreated mental health issues that challenge him as well as their marriage. Maggie has her own secrets. This could have been a more intense and thoughtful look at both of them and the changing tides of the period but it disappointed, especially with the ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A miss for me so over to others.

Maggie Lane is a country girl living in New York City in the early 1950’s and she works on radio and is offered a new job promoting the Deluxe Baking Companies range of packet cake mixes and on The Maggie Lane Baking Television Show. Maggie has to act like the average American housewife, whip of yummy treats with everyone watching and sign a contract that will end her money worries and it has a morality code.

Maggie has just married Teddy Buckley, he thinks she should grab the opportunity and supports her and despite the fact she can’t cook or bake. Maggie’s show is a huge success, this causes tension at home and the couple have things they haven’t shared about their pasts and Maggie’s worried she will lose her job and husband if the truth comes out.

I received a copy of American Housewife from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. The idea behind the story was to highlight the changes happening in America at the time, television was a new form of entertainment and advertising platform, anything that made life easier for a housewife was a great idea and would sell and women’s roles were changing.

From reading previous novels by Anita Abriel I had high hopes for American Housewife however it fell short of my expectations, the dialog didn’t flow smoothly, it jumped all over the place and I wasn’t a fan of Maggie’s character and the only positive thing she did was lookout and care for her friend Dolly.


I suggest to reading this book for yourself and making up your own mind and three stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐️. I would describe this as a version of Lessons in Chemistry but without the science, strong characters or driven plot. Or meaningful writing. So I guess just a baking show in the 50s with a few plot arcs, a few mysteries that get resolved unsatisfyingly and a social commentary on working women and how men were all unsupportive of them.

Things just ‘happened’ in the book. Maggie rose to fame instantly which I found hard to believe, Teddy is painted as an awful husband and Maggie is constantly gaslighted by his actions. Her past romances felt a touch unbelievable, her refusal to marry Jake was just a jarring experience. I mainly drew enjoyment from the setting (love 50s!) and I think is where the book was most interesting. Maggie held views that didn’t match up with the societal views from the get go, so you didn’t see much growth and she just got handed everything to her. She was also quite naive of things and I was frustrated by her lack of anger at the things that Teddy was doing. All the plot threads were repetitive, got resolved with ease and the ‘villain’ of the story was just such a caricature. There’s definitely quite a bit of editing that’s needed to at least add some substantial intrigue.

Maggie Lane navigates the heart ache of losing a past love and her new love in the current (book goes between past and present). I normally don’t like the back and forth of past and present, but it worked for this story. I also enjoyed the theme of womanhood as Maggie tries to have a good home life/work balance. This is something still relevant to woman today.

I wanted to love this book, but felt like it was repetitive at times. Still enjoyable and grateful to NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie Lane is the American Housewife. After working as a temp and doing commercials, Maggie is offered her own baking show on the new medium of television. It’s the early 1950s and her show is designed to showcase Deluxe Baking Company products and recipes. Maggie becomes enormously popular and is showered with recognition and awards while her husband Teddy, a radio producer, chafes at taking second place. Maggie is frustrated because, while she has a successful career, she can only give homemaking advice to stay-at-home housewives. Tensions rise and it will take a near disaster to save her relationship with Teddy.

You can’t help but love Maggie Lane. She’s intelligent, spirited and down to earth. She works hard for her success and if she keeps some secrets along the way, that’s her business. I love the letters she answers from fans. Her answers are real, encouraging and ahead of her time. The only problem I have with American Housewife is in the final pages. The networking goes beyond belief. However, it is a small flaw in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable book! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Anita Abriel for this ARC.

I really enjoyed Maggie’s story! This book provided a great look into being a woman in the 1950s. In a time when women were expected to only be housewives, she was a great champion to encourage women to follow their dreams and ambition.

The mystery of Maggie’s past and the unraveling of her seemingly perfect life kept me hooked throughout the novel. However, I would've liked the story to be longer. It wrapped up very quickly in the end. Overall, this was a great read!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read!

I cannot say enough good things about this book! The writing was simple enough to read, not too dense. And the story went together so so well! Highly recommend

If you love old Hollywood glamour mixed with a dose of behind-the-scenes drama, American Housewife is a must-read. Anita Abriel takes us back to the 1950s, where television is booming, and image is everything. Enter Maggie Lane—a rising TV star with a hit baking show, the perfect husband, and a spotless reputation. There’s just one small problem: she can’t bake to save her life, and her picture-perfect life is built on a carefully crafted illusion.

As Maggie navigates the pressures of fame, a controlling industry, and a marriage that’s not as happy as it seems, the tension simmers. Add in an old flame and secrets from her past, and suddenly, her carefully built world is teetering on the edge. The novel does a great job of exploring the unrealistic expectations placed on women in the 1950s—especially those in the public eye—while keeping the drama engaging and full of twists.

Abriel’s writing makes it easy to slip into this glamorous yet high-stakes world, and Maggie is a character you can’t help but root for. The mix of romance, scandal, and personal discovery keeps the pages turning, and while the story is set in the past, its themes of public versus private life feel just as relevant today.

If you’re in the mood for an entertaining, heartfelt, and insightful look at the cost of success and the pursuit of authenticity, American Housewife is worth a read. Perfect for fans of historical fiction with a touch of old-school Hollywood drama!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for na honest review.